BETTER BROADCASTS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 258, 30 July 1942, Page 3

BETTER BROADCASTS

Lead Given By 8.8. C. (By ILL’.) Jinny thousands of listenefs-in in New Zealand will welcome tlie lead given by tlie 8.8. C. in England in its decision to ban frothy, insincere, and indecorous songs by debilitated male shigers and raucous female, screamers. l ,v or a long time the broadcasts from all stations in this country have been ’far from what they should have been, anti what they could be. It does not need any unnecessary emphasizing to remind people of tlie very low standard of vocal records, emanating for the most part from tlie Tin Pan Alley group in the United States of America, songs with ‘ abominably and sometimes indecently sentimental lyrics which should never be set to music, such is the paucity of idea and poverty of language employed. As often as not the tunes are from some scrap of the classics, possibly a little gem of adapted melody, that gives the nninber an air. In other cases many of our most charming, wellwritten and composed national songs are ".swung" into jimpy jazz, tempos by vulgar regro singers—and put over as “thetiling.”

There are not infrequently songs, the words uf which convey innuendos and inferences that, should not be heard in any decent company of young people, and which should never have been recorded. Olliers are so inept, so badly sung, so extremely low-brow in every respect, that one marvels that any self-respecting grainophone company would put them "on record.'' Yet I here they are, as bold as brass’, something that assails one’s sense of ordinary decency, and mocks at morality with a loud grin. It is time broadcasting in New Zealand followed the latest H.l’.C. decree, and banned every ■l'cord Iluil offends.